American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Floor Speech
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009 -- (Senate - February 03, 2009)
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AMENDMENT NO. 110 TO AMENDMENT NO. 98
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of myself, Senator Feinstein, Mr. Specter, Mr. Reid, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Lautenberg, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Levin, Mr. Brown, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Lieberman, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Begich, and Mr. Reed of Rhode Island, and I ask for its immediate consideration.
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Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, last year was tragic for workers who lost their jobs and their homes in this economic crisis. Through no fault of their own, millions of people are now wondering where they are going to find the next dollar to pay for groceries or to keep a roof over their heads. For them, putting money away to save for college or for a secure retirement is simply a dream. It is clear we need to take bold action to get us through this recession and back on the road to economic recovery. I believe the American recovery and reinvestment plan now before the Senate is that kind of bold investment.
Before I continue, I particularly congratulate our new Appropriations chairman, Senator Inouye, and commend him for his management and tremendous work on getting this bill and this part of it to the floor. He has always shown evenhandedness and poise, as he has managed dozens of bills on the Commerce and Appropriations Committees. We are very fortunate to have him as our chairman on the Appropriations Committee, helping us with this critical piece of legislation. I also thank our former chairman and ranking member for his long dedication to the Appropriations Committee, Senator Cochran. I truly appreciate his contribution to this committee.
I rise to offer an amendment that will make this good bill even better by boosting our investment in infrastructure and creating thousands more good-paying American jobs. Our economy needs a jolt. We have to create jobs, and we have to get commerce going again. I believe one of the best ways we can do that and bring stability to communities is by investing in construction projects throughout the entire country. The amendment I offer today will get more than 650,000 Americans back to work by injecting $25 billion into our highways and roads, mass transit systems, and water and sewer networks.
Investing in construction projects is the tried and true way to put people back to work. My amendment not only supports over 650,000 jobs, it supports the kind of good-paying jobs we desperately need to help families put meals on the table or send their kids to school or save a little money for retirement. These are also the jobs our State Governors and local mayors say they are praying for to help their communities. States and municipalities have felt the economic crisis particularly hard. They have had to make some painful cuts and layoffs. They are even canceling projects now under way to conserve cash. This weekend Governor Granholm from Michigan told CNN that her State could ``have dirt flying within 180 days'' if we pass a bill that increases Federal infrastructure investments.
With the amendment we are offering today, States such as Michigan could create jobs as fast as they are able to spend the money, and thousands of people in all 50 States would benefit. It would support, for example, more than 18,000 jobs in Georgia, 27,600 jobs in Florida, over 20,000 jobs in Michigan, more than 13,000 jobs in the State of Washington, to name a few.
I ask unanimous consent to print in the Record a chart that displays what this will do for every State.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
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Mrs. MURRAY. But this amendment doesn't only help the economy today by creating new jobs. This amendment will literally pave the way for future economic growth across the country. These investments will help communities provide cleaner drinking water and roads that are free of congestion. They will help create modern railroads that will get workers to their jobs more quickly and safely. They will help improve our ports so they are more efficient and more competitive. We all know businesses need good transportation and stable water and sewer systems. Less traffic means more productivity, cleaner air, and a stronger economy. These investments will pay off for years to come because communities will be stronger and more competitive in the global economy.
Finally, this amendment is critically needed because roads, bridges, and water and sewer systems are literally falling apart. Year after year, we have had to put off repairs, while we have spent billions of dollars in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In August of 2007, we all stood aghast and watched in horror as the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River. That tragedy brought home to everyone how critical it is that we invest in the national highway system.
Last week, we had another reminder when the American Society of Civil Engineers issued its annual report card on the condition of America's infrastructure. The results were truly dismal. The leading experts on the state of our Nation's infrastructure have reduced the grade point average of our entire system of roads and bridges and transit and sewer plants to a D. Let me make it clear, that was a D average for all of the Nation's infrastructure. Several specific areas which I am targeting in the amendment did even worse. Wastewater treatment systems, on which I have worked with Senator Feinstein, got a D-minus. The engineers pointed out that leaking pipes across the country lose an estimated 7 billion gallons of drinking water each and every day. The Nation's roads got a D-minus since a third of the major roads are considered to be in poor or mediocre condition. More than a third of urban highways are congested. American families now spend about 4.2 billion hours each year stuck in traffic. That is costing the economy almost $80 billion every single year. These are roads in every one of the States. It is time to fix them.
Our transit systems only got a D, but that is still not acceptable. With ridership skyrocketing, it could get worse, if we don't make the upgrades and improvements so dramatically needed.
Speaking as a mom and a former teacher, a D-minus or a D is not going to cut it. As far as I am concerned, when it comes to infrastructure, a D stands for disappointment. A D means demand change, demand attention, and demand investment.
The amendment I have offered is going to help us address these deficiencies head on and put over 655,000 Americans back to work. For any of my colleagues who are worried about whether we can spend infrastructure dollars fast enough, I want to be clear: More than a million workers across the country are today ready and able to start tomorrow. The unemployment rate in the construction industry is now just under 16 percent. More than 1.5 million construction workers are out of a job, a 54-percent increase over a year ago. Skilled workers all across the country are now forced to try to pick up whatever odd jobs they can to pay for their week's groceries. This amendment is about bringing jobs back to those workers and stability to their families and making the kinds of investments America has ignored for too long.
I am proposing in the amendment that we invest another $25 billion in this bill, bringing the total spending on infrastructure to $167 billion. My amendment would increase transportation investments from $45.5 billion to more than $63.5 billion, with the largest boost going to highway construction. It would give all States and communities the equivalent of 2 years of Federal highway contributions at once, enabling them to support 362,000 construction jobs alone, and another $5 billion would go to mass transit, supporting 139,000 jobs. Senator Feinstein will discuss how it will increase water and sewer grants within the Environmental Protection Agency by $7 billion, supporting 154,000 new jobs.
It is a scary time for millions of families across America. They are extremely worried about their stability and the future of their families. They are worried about how they will pay their bills and whether they will be able to keep their homes. They have put their faith in all of us and in our new President to set us on a path that will not only turn things around but leave our country stronger and more resilient than ever. Today they are watching this debate, and they are expecting us to take bold, swift action to get us started. This amendment is that kind of bold action. It supports 655,000 new, good-paying jobs. It will help us rebuild roads, bridges, mass transit networks, water and sewer systems that we have neglected for too long. Most importantly, these investments will leave communities stronger and more secure in the future.
I urge my colleagues to support the amendment and help put thousands of American workers back on the job and the country back on its feet.
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to add as cosponsors Senators Schumer and Byrd.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank Senator Feinstein for her cosponsorship and working with me and the chairman on including this amendment that would provide 655,000 jobs.
I heard the Senator from Iowa earlier talking about providing or increasing Government jobs. I would let our colleagues know that this amendment before us is about private construction jobs.
In fact, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from AGC of America, Associated General Contractors, as well as a letter from FasterBetterSafer, Americans for Transportation Mobility, which represents the American Public Transportation Association, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the Associated Equipment Distributors, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Associated General Contractors, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the International Union of Operating Engineers, the Laborers International Union of North America, the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in support of this amendment.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to add as cosponsors Senators Schumer and Byrd.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank Senator Feinstein for her cosponsorship and working with me and the chairman on including this amendment that would provide 655,000 jobs.
I heard the Senator from Iowa earlier talking about providing or increasing Government jobs. I would let our colleagues know that this amendment before us is about private construction jobs.
In fact, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from AGC of America, Associated General Contractors, as well as a letter from FasterBetterSafer, Americans for Transportation Mobility, which represents the American Public Transportation Association, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the Associated Equipment Distributors, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Associated General Contractors, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the International Union of Operating Engineers, the Laborers International Union of North America, the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in support of this amendment.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, the point is these are private sector jobs. In fact, less than 1 percent of these will go to Government jobs, and those jobs will be oversight and accountability to make sure our taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.
I look forward to having a vote on this amendment as soon as our chairman determines the time. I ask our Senate colleagues to join us in making sure we create the kind of investment, infrastructure, job creation that we have told America about, and we know will get us back on our feet.
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Mrs. MURRAY. I ask unanimous consent that Senators Carper and Tester be added as cosponsors of the amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Pennsylvania be given 2 minutes prior to my closing remarks.
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania. I urge my colleagues to approve this $25 billion for the 655,000 jobs across the country to rebuild roads, bridges, sewers, and infrastructure. This amendment will put people to work, and it will get the country back to the point where we feel strong again. I have heard the arguments about offsets, and I know there are a number of Senators who are working to find agreement on how we can reduce the cost of the underlying bill. We will work with them. But let's make sure we understand that infrastructure is a priority and approve this amendment.
I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to waive the Budget Act.
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